tuners in Holland

[antares]

on 12/26/02 2:53 PM, Jon Page at jonpage@attbi.com wrote:

> At 01:15 PM 12/26/2002 +0100, Antares wrote:<snip>
>> time/energy factor can hardly be denied and don't forget that all employed
>> tuners here in Holland are obliged to do 6 tunings a day (according to the
>> agreements between the employers and the unions).
>> 6 tuning a day including travel time.
> 
> How can it be dictated to tune that many pianos per day? What business is
> it of theirs?
> How do you fill the quota if the calls do not come?

Well John,

This is a deal between unions, piano dealers and their employed tuners.
If a tuner needs a job at a store, he or she will have to tune 30 piano's a
week in order to get the union wage.
Usually, the tuner gets a list from his employer with the clients he/she has
to call for an appointment.
If times are slow, the tuner may be asked to tune in the shop.
Some dealers have a telephone person to call the clients for the tuners.
Some big dealers even have a whole tuning department for maybe over 20
tuners all over the country.

> 
>> I have done this for many years and those were my toughest years and they
>> gave me speed tuning, experience, knowledge of a wide variety of piano makes
>> but also boredom, fatigue, stress and serious physical complaints, the more
>> so as I am an older tuner, and in 'them olden days' a tuner had to tune 7
>> piano's a day (and before 'them olden days' even more on the Saturday).
> 
> For all those reasons, tuning had become a burden. But now it is stress
> free and
> somewhat fun again.

Especially if you are your own boss and put the money in your own pocket(s)
> 
> Thanks for recommending such a fine tuning machine.
> Regards,

Just like you, I know about ETD's. The VT is a marvel.
 

Antares
The Netherlands

"Where Music is no harm can be"

see my website :
www.concertpianoservice.nl